World holds its breath as Israel tanks roll on Rafah: Jerusalem vows vast new ground invasion after rejecting Hamas ceasefire deal [Video]

20:43 EDT 06 May 2024, updated 08:34 EDT 07 May 2024

An Israeli tank brigade this morning seized control of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, moving forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife’s edge.

The Israeli 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing and took ‘operational control’ of the crucial crossing for both aid and those able to flee into Egypt, officials said, adding this morning that they had ‘eliminated approximately 20 terrorists’.

Footage circulating on social media showed an IDF tank trundling over the border, with another clip later appearing to show Israeli flags flying at the crossing point.

This came just hours after Israel roundly rejected a new ceasefire deal hashed out by Egyptian and Qatari negotiators that Hamas said it had accepted.

The announcement from Hamas sparked premature celebrationsin Rafah yesterday as war-weary Palestinians took to the streets rejoicing news …